White Star Line, SS Cevic - letter from Captain to wife
White Star Line, SS Cevic - handwritten letter from Captain William Marshall, later to become Commodore of the White Star Line, to his wife on six one-sided sheets of generic White Star Line stationery written on board SS Cevic while docked in New York, dated 17 May 1912. As Marshall often did while at sea, he wrote to his wife about shipboard activities, this example being particularly lengthy and detailed. Marshall comments in full candor about some of the drawbacks of life on board as well as problems with the ship. The Cevic was in port as the RMS Oceanic had arrived. Several days before arriving in New York, the Oceanic had a chance encounter with Titanic's collapsible A lifeboat which had been abandoned at sea and by then had drifted some two hundred miles from Titanic's foundering position. Titanic's Fifth Officer Harold Lowe had previously transferred the survivors of collapsible A into another boat, leaving three dead bodies in the lifeboat. Several passenger effects were found in the boat and were brought to shore and later returned to the respective families. The three victims were buried at sea. Apparently, Marshall gathered this information from Oceanic while in port as he recounts the details of Oceanic's encounter with collapsible A in this letter. He also discusses the British Enquiry. He closes by advising his wife that he will send this letter home via Oceanic. Very little contemporary information about Oceanic's encounter with lifeboat A has surfaced, making this letter one of the few such accounts that has. The letter was written just hours after Oceanic's arrival in port after burying Titanic's dead. It is in excellent condition and is accompanied by its original White Star Line mailing envelope postmarked New York, 17 May 1912 and Battersea SW (London) 25 May 1912. The envelope succinctly states, Per R.M.S. Oceanic
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Accounts Advising Apparently Battersea Buried Burying Chance Closes Collapsible Comments Commodore Detailed Details Discusses Docked Drawbacks Drifted Encounter Enquiry Envelope Example Excellent Foundering Generic Handwriting Handwritten Lengthy Lifeboat Lowe Mailing Oceanic Often Particularly Postmarked Previously Problems Recounts Respective Returned Send Sheets Shipboard Stationery Surfaced Survivors Transferred Wrote
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